When the world's largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, was in need of a major system upgrade, the choice fell on Kongsberg Maritime's Information Management System (K-IMS) to manage and store data. Chief Electrical Engineer, Dragutin Radobuljac calls this “a revolutionary upgrade".

K-IMS PROVIDES

- Collection and distribution of data from systems and sensors onboard.

- Condition-based monitoring of alarms and incidents onboard.

- Fuel consumption reports.

- Decision-making support for safe operations.

- Remote diagnostics and reduced need for service personnel onboard.

- Email notification of system faults.

- Overview of passengers and crew onboard.

- Online virus protection

Allure of the Seas is the largest of the two Oasis-class cruise ships owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL). Although she has been sailing since December 2010, she has undergone several upgrades since her launch. Covering almost 387 metres in length (1,187 feet), she is a floating holiday resort and the workplace for a total 2,384 employees. The vast number of technical systems required to run such a large ship produce enormous volumes of data, and this is where K-IMS is invaluable.

EFFICIENCYK-IMS is a communication platform designed for maritime and offshore industries. It has been developed to ensure efficient, high-quality flow of information via an interactive online system. K-IMS collects data from systems and sensors onboard, and distributes the correct information in the correct format at the correct time to the correct user, thereby ensuring optimal operations and safe transport of thousands of passengers over the seven seas.

An IMS portal is installed both onboard the Allure of the Seas and in the RCCL office network in Miramar, Florida, so that all data is available both onboard and onshore. You can also access the K-IMS data onboard using a tablet and on a large screen in the ship’s engine room.

“The system collects data onboard and distributes it in the correct format to the fleet manager’s office and the supplier’s support systems. This allows us to maintain a complete overview of operations onboard. K-IMS provides a complete and updated information portal so we can achieve better traceability and quality in our communications between the organisation on shore and onboard,” explains Hans Ellingsen, Manager Information Management Systems.

A PART OF OPERATIONSK-IMS was installed during the major upgrade to the K-Chief automation system. The new KChief system now onboard the Allure of the Seas is one of the most comprehensive systems ever to be installed by Kongsberg Maritime, with 76 Remote Control Units (RCUs) controlling more than 40,000 Input/ Output (IO) units, or units that send signals between the data systems onboard.

K-IMS was chosen instead of the existing K-Chief History Station. As the preferred data logging system onboard, it will have to collect data from 21,000 IO units and store data for a period of seven years. This is a clear improvement, from the previous capacity of 14,500 IO units and data storage for one year. As such, RCCL will now have a comprehensive database and statistics that will help improve the ship’s operational performance.

“It is clear that the Information Management system installed on the Allure is a revolutionary upgrade to our data storage and data management application, and will have a significant impact on daily operations. The system helps us carry out daily tasks onboard and helps us keep operations as smooth as possible,” confirms Chief Electrical Engineer on the Allure of the Seas, Dragutin Radobuljac.

KEY MOTIVATIONK-IMS allows its users to view statistical data and provides condition-based surveillance of alarms and incidents onboard. This offers a longterm overview of system performance and mechanical degradation, allowing for preventive maintenance, so that the company will be able, for example, to replace components and systems before the need is critical. The system also provides an overview of the most common alarms, so that the company can solve such problems before they turn into a crisis.

“One key motivating factor for the installation of K-IMS onboard was fuel efficiency. The Chief Engineer onboard requested a report showing how much fuel had been consumed in the last 24 hours. This will help us decide which users still require power supply and which we can shut down, so we can operate the ship with lower costs,” confirms Hans Ellingsen.